The Hôtel des Mille Collines () (English: ''Hotel of the Thousand Hills'') is a large hotel in

Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali has been Rwa ...

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

. It became famous after 1,268 people took refuge inside the building during the Rwandan genocide of 1994. The story of the hotel and its manager at that time, Paul Rusesabagina, was later used as the basis of

Terry George Terence George (born 20 December 1952) is an Irish screenwriter and director. Much of his film work (e.g. ''The Boxer'', ''Some Mother's Son'', and ''In the Name of the Father'') involves "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland. He was nominated fo ...

's film ''

Hotel Rwanda ''Hotel Rwanda'' is a 2004 drama film directed by Terry George. It was adapted from a screenplay co-written by George and Keir Pearson, and stars Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo as hotelier Paul Rusesabagina and his wife Tatiana. Based on the Rw ...

'' in 2004.

History

The Belgian airline Sabena built the Hôtel des Mille Collines in 1973 and owned it during the Rwandan Genocide. The

four-star hotel Hotel ratings are often used to classify hotels according to their quality. From the initial purpose of informing travellers on basic facilities that can be expected, the objectives of hotel rating have expanded into a focus on the hotel experie ...

has 112 rooms, a bar, a café, three conference rooms, a restaurant, a swimming pool, and tennis courts. On August 10, 2005, Sabena Hotels sold the Hotel des Mille Collines to MIKCOR Hotel Holding for US$3.2million (about RWF 1.8 billion).

Miko Rwayitare Miko Rwayitare (December 2, 1942 – September 25, 2007) was a Rwandan-born billionaire and the supposed father of mobile telecommunications in Africa. It is reported that he made the first cellular phone call on the African continent in 1986. He ...

, the managing director of the MIKCOR group, said during the handover held at the hotel on Thursday 16, that the group now owns 89% of the hotel with 8.5% and 2.5% owned by

Rwanda Development Bank Development Bank of Rwanda, commonly referred to by its French name Banque Rwandaise de Développement (BRD), is a development bank in Rwanda. It is one of the banks licensed by the National Bank of Rwanda, the national banking regulator. Ove ...

(BRD) and the government of Rwanda, respectively. Rwayitare is also the executive chairman of

Telecel International Vodafone Portugal – Comunicações Pessoais, S.A., a full subsidiary of the Vodafone, Vodafone Group, is the second mobile operator in Portugal, both chronologically and in market share (34% in 2006). Its competitors are NOS (Portuguese media ...

, a communications company. In April 2014, Mickor Investment Holdings Ltd turned management of the hotel over to Kempinski Hotels and it was renamed the Hôtel des Mille Collines by Kempinski. The hotel left the Kempinski chain two years later, on April 1, 2016, and returned to its original name.

In popular culture

The hotel is the setting for the film ''

'', but it does not actually appear in the movie, which was largely shot in South Africa. The hotel does however appear in the 2005

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

film ''

Sometimes in April ''Sometimes in April'' is a 2005 American made-for-television historical drama film about the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, written and directed by the Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck. The ensemble cast includes Idris Elba, Oris Erhuero, Carole Karemera ...

'' and the 2007 Canadian film ''

Shake Hands with the Devil ''Shake Hands with the Devil'' may refer to: * ''Shake Hands with the Devil'' (1959 film), American drama set in 1921 Ireland * ''Shake Hands with the Devil'' (album), Kris Kristofferson 1979 release on Monument Records * ''Shake Hands with the ...

'', which were shot on location in Rwanda.

References

External links

*
Hôtel des Mille Collines official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hotel Des Mille Collines Buildings and structures in Kigali Rwandan genocide Hotels in Rwanda Hotels established in 1973 Hotel buildings completed in 1973 1973 establishments in Africa